Favorite Memories
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- Dr. Giedrė Maria Kumpikas
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My First Trip to Lithuania - Summer 1978
by Dr. Giedrė Maria Kumpikas (former Hicksville High School teacher)
Lithuania had been shut off from the Western world since the summer of 1944. My parents had fled the oncoming Russians, barely eluding them by twenty kilometers and avoiding deportation and death in the Stalinist Labor camps in Siberia.
Many years passed. First, five years as refugees in Germany; then almost thirty years as immigrants in New York. Life had been hard for my parents. They had lost their country, their relatives, their honored position in society, and had become factory workers. My mother, due to her linguistic ability, learned English quickly and was able to obtain an office job, later a job as an artist coloring photographs. Many, however, remained factory workers, although most had university degrees. Throughout these years, we progressed ever so slowly and finally bought a house in the suburbs, then nine years later, we upgraded to a better one. I graduated from college and even earned a PhD.
The memory of Lithuania, fleeing the Russians, was an ever-present factor to my parents and passed on to me as well. Lithuania! Where was it? It had actually been eradicated from the world map, yet I knew it existed, although now it was called the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. A Republic? Hardly. People could not leave; they could not write to anyone in the West, could not attend Church for fear of reprisals; lines for food and other daily necessities were long, and it was uncertain as to whether the staples would be there when your turn came.
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- Stefanie Cedar Shames, Class of 1977
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Regents Exams
by, Stefanie Cedar Shames, Class of 1977
On July 27, 1864, the New York State Board of Regents passed an ordinance that resulted in the first “preliminary” Regents Examinations, administered in November 1865 to eighth-grade students. The first Regents examinations for high school students were authorized at The University Convocation in 1876 and were first administered in June 1878. About 100 institutions participated, and the five subjects assessed were algebra, American history, elementary Latin, natural philosophy, and physical geography. Beginning in 1878, the list of exams grew considerably until 1979, when Regents Competency Tests (RCTs) were introduced, assessing basic skills, and discontinued in 2018. As learning standards have evolved , the Board of Regents continues to make changes to content, format, and scoring of the Regents examinations.
Ron Wencer's Ancient Hixtory article about the Regents Prayer, in the May 2025 issue of HixNews, made me remember my experiences with the Regents. When I was in high school, nothing created greater anxiety for college-bound students throughout New York State than the Regents exams. It was possible to pass the course and fail the Regents and have to take the course again! My first encounter with the Regents was in 1973-74. I took algebra in ninth grade, and we spent the entire school year learning the content and practicing for the Regents. And then, the news came that for the first time in history, the Regents exams were stolen, and not only that, cancelled! I remember such a feeling of relief. Teachers had to give us the grade they thought we would get, and I got a 99. I'm sure my teacher, maybe it was Mrs. Milbauer, thought I would make one stupid mistake, and I'm sure she was correct!
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- Stefanie Cedar Shames, Class of 1977
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We All Scream for Ice Cream
by Stefanie Cedar Shames, Class of 1977
There was just ice cream in the days before, soy, oat, and lactose-free. The Carvel on Jerusalem Avenue was always a favorite! Whenever my sister and I were in the car with my father, we would "hijack" him to stop at Carvel, and he always took us there because he loved it, too! I always liked the chocolate cone with chocolate sprinkles! This is the same Carvel that was damaged during the Hicksville tornado of 1976 where classmates were injured.
In addition to Carvel, we had Baskin Robbins' 31 Flavors on Hicksville Road. Even though I loved Rocky Road ice cream, I didn't like it enough to go out in cold weather. My father and sister would go out in all kinds of weather, including blizzards, to get ice cream at Baskin Robbins.
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- Wendy Elkis Girnis, Class of 1977
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The St. Patrick's Day Parade
by, Wendy Elkis Girnis, Class of 1977
The NYC St. Patrick's Day parade dates back to March 17, 1762. Irish ex-patriots and military members serving with the British army stationed in the colony of New York marched in a parade wearing green to symbolize Irish pride. They were immigrants who missed their homes and felt joy in the freedom to wear green, sing songs from home, play Irish tunes, and speak Irish.
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- Wayne Lyons, Class of 1966
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Memories from a Long, Long Time Ago
Submitted by,
Wayne Lyons, Class of 1966
My family moved from the Bronx in the early 1950s, and we settled in Hicksville in 1952. I lived on the border of Hicksville, and over the fenced backyard was Levittown. I did have one neighbor briefly who worked in the TV industry...Wright Thornburgh King (January 11, 1923 – November 25, 2018) was an American stage, film, and television actor whose career lasted for over forty years. He is best known for playing Jason Nichols in the television series Wanted Dead or Alive (1958–1961). King studied acting at the St Louis School of Theater, from which he graduated in 1941, before enlisting in the United States Navy during World War II, in which he served in the South Pacific campaign from 1943 to 1945.
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- Stefanie Cedar Shames, Class of 1977
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Allied Shopping Center
by Stefanie Cedar Shames, Class of 1977
In between Levittown and Hicksville, on Jerusalem Avenue, was Allied Shopping Center. Built in 1954, the memories of the center are clear in my mind. When I lived in the area, the supermarket was Grand Union. If you currently live in Hicksville, you will probably know this center with Best Market, Dollar Tree, Dunkin Donuts, and Monaco's Pizza.
